Strengths-based development tools
Underpinned by our pioneering strengths-based approach to athlete development our suite of research-driven development tools have been carefully designed to power the potential of athletes from an aligned and integrated key stakeholder perspective.
What makes a model athlete?
Our research and applied practice within elite sport has built a clear picture of the mental and behavioural strengths modelled by athletes who successfully develop to the world-class level. Collectively, these development strengths provide the building-blocks from which to shape athletes who display the resilience, intelligence, self-management, drive and fortitude required to realise their potential.
Shaping model athletes via
model environments
Our research has also identified the core strengths that underpin optimal development environments. Collectively, these environment strengths dynamically work together to provide the optimal conditions to effectively nurture an athlete’s potential through each key stage along the development pathway. For this reason, we believe that model athletes are built through model environments.
What is a
strengths-based approach?
All too often in sport young athletes focus their attention on improving their weaknesses, deficiencies or shortcomings and - in doing so - tend to lose sight of the positive attributes that are naturally strong within them.
Based on our extensive research and practice in elite sport we believe that when it comes to developing people, there is more to be gained by building on their existing strengths than on trying to make good their weaknesses.
Driven by this belief, our game-changing strengths-based approach to athlete development flips the script by switching the focus from what's 'wrong' to what's 'strong'.
By creating development environments that empower athletes to discover and build the strengths they express most naturally, they begin to view themselves from a strong and positive perspective.
As the building-blocks of a strong mental game, when athletes learn to harness and activate these strengths in combination at the right time they also provide a powerful source of competitive advantage by optimising their performance and overall development.
What are
strengths-based development
tools?
Underpinned by our approach, strengths-based development tools are a suite of research-driven assessments that can be utilised to evaluate, identify and profile the strengths of individuals (e.g. athletes, coaches) and environments.
The feedback and actionable insights generated from these tools can be used as the basis for a wide-range of evidence-based development experiences and initiatives that empower athletes of all abilities to actualise their potential from an aligned and integrated key stakeholder perspective.
Ways our tools can add value to an athlete's developmental journey
Check out some of the benefits our evidence-based tools offer all key stakeholders involved in the development process.
Help athletes identify and better connect with their own unique development strengths
Help coaches discover, build and activate their own strengths and those of their athletes
Help athletic directors optimise the development experience of athletes on pathway programs
Help athletic directors optimise the game-day experience of high-performance athletes
Help sport parents optimise
their influential role in the development process
Help athletes tune up their performance from a biopsychosocial perspective
Check out the tools on our roster
Our suite of strengths-based development tools have been carefully designed to help athletes actualise their potential from an aligned and integrated key stakeholder perspective. Upon completion, the tools provide instant on-screen feedback and generate a personalised profile report.
tools for athletes
Athlete
This tool is designed to help athletes identify and better connect with their unique development strengths
Athlete
This tool is designed to help athletes identify ways they can tune-up their performance from a biopsychosocial perspective
tools for coaches
Coach
This tool is designed to help coaches evaluate their athletes core, active, emergent & inactive development strengths
Coach
This tool is designed to help coaches identify and better connect with their own unique development strengths
tools for sport parents
Sport Parent
This tool is designed to help sport parents identify and better connect with their child's unique development strengths
tools for athletic directors*
Athletic directors
This tool is designed to help AD's assess the benchstrength of their athletes' development experience based on 9 core environment strengths
Athletic directors
This tool is designed to help AD's assess their athletes' development experience (DX) based on athlete feedback
Athletic directors
This tool is designed to help AD's assess the game-day experience of athletes' on high-performance athletic programs
* DXPulse and GXPulse are both custom-built tools that form part of our DX and GX management solutions.
Meet the world-leading research team behind our world-class tools
To provide world-class development experiences we believe it’s key that our team are world-class practitioners. Learn more about the pioneering research team whose strengths-based research in elite sport underpins our evidence-based tools and solutions.
Prof. Joanne Butt Ph.D., C.Psychol.
Professor of Sport Psychology
Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Joanne currently works as a Professor of Sport Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Sport & Exercise Sciences in the UK. Joanne completed her MSc and PhD at Miami University and is a chartered sport and exercise psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS). With over 20 years teaching and applied experience, Joanne has delivered sport and performance psychology support to a wide-range of elite athletes and teams across a variety of levels including Team GB Olympians, Olympic coaches, NCAA and Varsity student-athletes and elite youth footballers. Joanne’s research focuses on the key psychological constructs that impact on athletes’ and coaches’ development and performances.
Dr. Andrew Mills Ph.D., C.Psychol.
Founder, ModelAthlete®
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Before founding ModelAthlete® Andrew worked as a lecturer, researcher and talent development consultant at Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Sport & Exercise Science (CSES) in the UK. Holding an MSc and PhD in sport & performance psychology, Andrew has carried out research and consultancy for a wide-range of elite sport organisations to help optimise their athlete development pathways and has over 10 years experience working individually with athletes to help them realise their potential athletically and personally. He also works with coaches and sport parents to optimise their respective roles in the development process. Andrew’s published research focuses on the individual and environmental strengths that interact to facilitate optimal performance and development.
Prof. Ian Maynard Ph.D., C.Psychol.
Head of School of Sport
Essex University, UK
Ian currently works as Head of School and Professor of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science at the University of Essex in the UK. Ian holds an MSc and PhD in sport psychology and is a chartered sport and exercise psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS). With over 30 years teaching and applied experience, Ian has delivered sport and performance psychology support to a wide-range of elite athletes and teams across a variety of levels including Team GB Olympians, Olympic coaches, Premier League referees and world-class rugby and cricket players. Ian is also the current Editor of the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action and sits on the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the English Institute of Sport (EIS). The TAG is responsible for strategic direction and monitoring the operational management of the EIS.
You're in elite company
Our world-class team have carried out research and consultancy for a wide-range of elite sport and educational organisations.
case study
Explore how our tools helped optimise the development experience of elite youth footballers
Interested to discover how our tools could add value to your athlete pathway?
If you'd like to know more about our suite of research-driven tools or are interested in how we can develop a custom strengths-based tool for your pathway simply schedule a discovery chat with our team.